WHAT “Circular Economy (CE) is widely recognized as the new economic model aiming to maintain the value of materials, parts, and products as long as possible, minimize the extraction and use of virgin resources and waste generation using design strategies that slow the flow of resources, close loops between production and post-use, and increase resource efficiency.” WHY It can be used to Operationalize or Build out one or more of the Four Dimensions of a Social Enterprise CE

By: Joseph Wernau Note to Readers: In order to solve social problems social entrepreneurs use storytelling to facilitate their system change efforts. N.B. Module 10 of the Practitioner Guide in this Blog has additional resource material on story telling. (Edited lightly for length) Storytelling for Systems Change Story is not decoration. In systems change work, narrative is infrastructure. It shapes which problems get named, who gets blamed, and what solutions feel possible.

Robert Thompson Note to Readers: The pre-mortem tool is, in my opinion, easy to understand, use and effective in identifying potential errors in a project before implementation. NB: Article edited for length. “I remember the exact moment I became a coward. Not a dramatic, movie-villain cowardice. The smaller, more professional kind — the kind that wears a lanyard and sits quietly in a boardroom chair. It was a Tuesday. Third-floor. The glass-walled kind of conference room th

Note to Readers: Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a brilliant protestant theologian executed by the Nazi’s in 1945. Anticipating his death, he wrote a letter, to fellow anti-Hitler conspirators, entitled Theory of Stupidity. I think it provides a helpful way to understand the opposition to social change by stakeholders supporting a social problem embedded in the status quo. Such opposition is often rooted in groupthink which is also a challenge facing all organizations, including soc

Note to Readers: Every social entrepreneur who attempts to solve or ameliorate a social problem, functions, in part, as a change agent. One of the critical tasks change agents undertake is convincing enough stakeholders to leave their problems status quo to support a change leading to a better way of meeting their needs. The excerpts from the following article offer some compelling advice on how to approach helping stakeholders to change their minds. “……..why don’t facts wor

Shane Collins Note to Reader: The Art of War is thought to have been written around 475–221 BCE. Its strategic principles are studied world wide in military academies and business schools. “For 2,500 years, leaders have relied on his framework. Sun Tzu outlines five distinct types of intelligence sources. Here they are, translated for the modern CEO, founder, or strategist. The term spy refers to a source of intelligence on the strategy, tactics, and resources of your opponen

I Sat Through Two Hours of Useless Meetings. The Four Rules I Wrote on a Napkin Changed My Company. Manav Agarwal Note to Readers: We have all sat through boring, useless meetings. I think these four rules have a lot of value. Excerpts The 4 Unspoken Rules for Leading Meetings People Don’t Hate Rule #1: Start with the Damn “Objective.” (Not the Agenda) The biggest mistake leaders make is starting with the agenda. An agenda is just a list of topics; it’s a map without a desti